Filling the Blanks
by Michael Weyer
Summary: A murder case brings Castle and Beckett to meeting a certain man with a box who can solve the mystery of Castle's missing time.


**Filling the Blanks**

**By Michael Weyer**

** Don't own Castle or Doctor Who. This just popped into my mind, shorter than most of my stories but enjoy and feel free to comment.**

* * *

><p>Trust is the backbone of any partnership. Whether professional or personal, without trust, there can be no harmony. From the start, Kate Beckett and Richard Castle had prided themselves on having that trust. Even in the early days, when Beckett treated Castle as an annoyance more than anything else, she still trusted him and his instincts. That trust helped forge the bond that allowed their relationship to grow into love and soon marriage.<p>

Which was why having that trust, if not utterly broken, severely battered, was creating a wedge between a usually in synch couple.

It was two-fold, each feeling it from the other. To Kate, it was that nagging suspicion that there was something Castle wasn't telling her about the two months he was missing, the evidence against him, the agony she'd endured with many thinking her a jilted bride. For Castle, it was how the woman he loved (not to mention Ryan and Esposito) had been so easy to believe he was capable of this at all and lying all this time. It was something hard to overcome.

They seemed to be going better but it wasn't the same. The banter was strained, their feelings at home obviously darker. It wasn't resulting in blow-ups yet but each feared it was only a matter of time before this happened. Those missing two months were a pall over their lives and neither knew how to dissipate it.

Which was why what was about to happen was a true stroke of good timing.

* * *

><p>"What have we got?" Beckett looked over the mostly empty office building, sipping her coffee. Castle was behind her, the two seemingly okay but a close observer could tell there was that tension between them. Castle was in his usual rumpled outfit, looking a bit more bleary-eyed than usual from another late night of clues that led nowhere. Beckett was trying to be professional but clearly a late night for her as well.<p>

"Three dead," Esposito announced as he rose from one of the bodies. "Multiple gunshot wounds." He nodded to each. "Looks like woman took out the guy here first," he pointed to a man slumped at a computer desk. "Then the other guy running." Kate saw the body of a man lying face-down on the floor. "Then turns the gun on herself."

Kate knelt by the body of the young blonde-haired woman in a nice suit as she saw the blood around her head. Lanie was there, checking her over. "Single shot," the medical examiner intoned. "My guess is the last bullet."

Beckett studied the nearby desk where a chair was hanging empty before a computer screen covered in red. "She shot herself here."

Castle was moving carefully to study the scene. "So she shoots the two guys…Then sits down at the computer for something…Then shoots herself?" He looked up. "We know what she did?"

"We have to process the computer first before we find out," Esposito answered. He looked up as Ryan came into the room, looking over his pad. "Okay, just made calls to figure things out. This is Sterling Accounts, small firm, not too much business around. First vic is Conrad Sterling, the boss. Second is Roger Connors, VP and the woman is Natalie Greenberg, 23, secretary. And no, no priors on any of them."

"Hmmm…" Castle mused. "Maybe a love triangle gone wrong?"

"All three are single," Ryan noted.

"What kind of business do they do?" Beckett asked.

Ryan consulted his notes again. "Small accounting firm, nothing too major, we need a closer look at the books. They've been here four months, other tenants say no real problems."

"Security cameras?"

"Not working today, routine maintenance."

"Perfect time to do this." Beckett looked to Lanie. "Sure that she did kill herself? Not staged?"

The examiner had moved to Natalie's body. "Residue on her hand, splatter would indicate her shooting here. I'd need more time but right now, I'd say looks like she did do it herself."

"So why?" Beckett mused. "Why would she kill her bosses, then herself?"

Before anyone could speak, a new figure entered the room. He was a tall man, appearing to be in his '50's with gray hair, dressed in a suit with a coat buttoned at the center but open enough to show red lining underneath along with a dark grey shirt. He marched into the room as if he was perfectly at ease there, brushing past Ryan to look over the bodies on the ground. "Hmmm," he mumbled to himself as he reached into his coat to pull out a small device. He waved it over the body with a beeping sound echoing from it.

"Who the hell are you?" Beckett demanded.

The man glanced back at her. "Excuse me, I'm working," he said in a thick Scottish brogue.

"This is our crime scene."

"Isn't that a feather for the cap, then?" The man pulled a wallet out to flash something at them all. "Smith, Scotland Yard."

Beckett blinked at that before shaking her head. "I don't care, this is still our crime scene."

"Yes, yes, of course, feel free to run around and do your little investigations and such," Smith said. He was moving to the computer to wave that device of his over it. "Meanwhile, I'll be working on the actually important things."

"Hey!" Ryan protested. "Be careful with that!"

"I always am," the man said just as the computer let out a sharp beep and winked out. "Huh. That almost never happens."

"Son of a…" Kate glared at him. "That's it, I don't care who you are, you're coming with us!"

"I have better places to be."

"We're not giving you a choice."

"Choices, my child, are like fireflies, plentiful and hard to catch the right one."

Beckett just glared more. "Are we going to be difficult about this?"

"Or you can offer help," Castle broke in. "Be charitable and it'll be easier."

"A roller coaster with you lot, isn't it?" Smith remarked. "Fine, fine, I have to wait for some results anyway, lead it on!"

Beckett couldn't help shaking the feeling this was going to be a case she hated to remember down the road.

* * *

><p>The murder board was set up with phots of the victims and various notes on them. Beckett was facing it, studying it as she often did, Castle nearby. "No signs of anyone else involved," she noted. "Which indicates it was a murder-suicide."<p>

"Hmmm…" Castle mused. "Maybe they were doing side business for the Mob, she was a hitwoman sent to take them out."

"And the suicide?"

"Best way to clean up."

"Horrible idea." The two glanced to where Smith was lounging at a desk, absently playing with a day calendar. "Not to mention far, far too small-minded. That's detective work in this country?"

"He's not a cop, he's a writer," Beckett pointed out.

"Oh?"

"Rick Castle," the man said with a smile

"Never heard of you."

Kate had to smile at the way Castle's face fell at that. "And what about you?" Smith asked her. "Never go the name."

"Detective Kate Beckett."

"Beckett…Beckett…" Smith frowned. "Huh, know that name from somewhere…Can't quite nail it…" He shrugged. "Ah, not important in the long run then."

"Why are you here again?"

"To do something important." Smith stood up. "Which means I've wasted enough time around here."

"Don't make me handcuff you."

"Please, we just met."

Before Beckett could reply, Ryan walked up to them. "Called the folks on the client list and ran checks, it seems the place was on the up and up. Only one I couldn't reach was a…" He lifted up his notepad. "Acton Chemistry."

Smith was on his feet, ripping the page out of Ryan's notebook and stuffing it into his pocket. "Well, that's what was needed, nice to have met you all, well, not really but I have to be going." He began walking off as they all stared. "Now hold on!" Beckett yelled as she moved after him.

"Can't. Busy." Smith stopped as Beckett grabbed his arm, sighing. "This is so much easier when I have a carer."

"There's a surprise," Ryan muttered.

Smith was glaring. "Detective Beckett…" He shook his head. "Why does that name sound familiar...Detective Beckett, if you want to know what to do with this case, my advice would be to forget it. Because you go further down this rabbit hole, you will not like where it leads."

"We usually like that sort of thing," Castle smirked.

Smith looked at him carefully. "Huh. You really don't know, do you?" He shrugged. "Ah, well, hopefully you never have to find out as long as you let me do what needs to be done." With that, he broke away from Beckett to march out of the room.

"At least that wasn't weird," Castle noted.

"Better off without him," Beckett said. "I hate having an outsider mess with our investigation." She saw Castle looking at her. "You know what I mean."

"Hey." They turned to see Esposito coming up, looking worried. "Whatever that Smith freak did to the computers must have fried it, we can't get any of the data she was downloading."

"Dammit," Beckett growled. "We need to find that guy again, see if he knows anything."

"That'll be a surprise," Ryan muttered.

Beckett looked to him. "Anyone who knows any of the victims?"

"Yeah, it's kinda odd," Ryan noted. "All three had just moved into the city just before the agency was set up. No family in town, no friends we can find, no real significant others…"

"Mob," Castle spoke up.

"Shut up, Castle."

"Come on…."

Beckett ignored him to look to Ryan. "Anything at all?"

"Ran things through the system, might have a hit. Another place that did accounting work for Acton, they had a shooting in their office. Employee snapped, opened up fire, killed five people."

"He give a reason?" Beckett asked.

"Wounded by the cops, did give a brief statement saying he had no idea what happened." Ryan shrugged. "No more there, the guy slit his wrists in his cell."

"Connected to Acton…" Beckett mused. "There's something."

"Mob."

"Castle…"

"Well, address was ripped off by Smith but did get an address for Greenberg." Beckett took it as she moved off. "You two keep checking into the company and the employees to find something. We'll check her place out."

* * *

><p>"We haven't gone out."<p>

"I'm sorry?" Beckett asked. She and Castle were making their way to the quiet brownstone.

"Since I've been back. We haven't gone out. I mean, really to dinner or something."

"We've…been busy," Kate brushed it aside.

"I know," he said, somber. "But…I've asked. A couple of times. It can help."

"It…might." Kate was clearly uncomfortable with this talk and Castle knew it but he felt he had to press on. "Kate…I know it's been hard but…"

She opened the door, frowning. "Not locked." She opened it carefully, pulling out her gun. Castle automatically held back as he followed her, Beckett stepping in. "NYPD!" she called out. "Is there anyone here?" She walked forward, tense as usual in these situations as Castle followed her.

She entered a sparse living room, simply a couch, table, a TV at one side and little else. Sitting at the couch, flipping through a folder was Smith, looking rather comfortable. Sighing, Beckett lowered her gun. "Didn't you hear me call out?"

"I did. I was ignoring you." Smith flipped through the folder. "Hmmm….Interesting."

"I thought you were checking out Acton," Castle noted.

"I did," Smith replied. "Which turned out to merely be a post office box somewhere in Brooklyn. Very Len Deighton, trail led me here which makes sense."

"How?" Castle asked.

Smith just shrugged. "Not for you to know."

"Listen, Smith, or whatever your name really is," Kate snapped. "You are officially interfering with a police investigation. So I want to know what you know and how you know it right now."

"Do you let a child use that gun?"

Beckett blinked at the bizarre question. "Huh?"

"Do you? No, of course not." Smith was fixing her with a hard gaze. "That's why I'm not giving you the truth, Detective Kate Beckett. Because, as with a gun, you will misuse it and end up causing great harm to other people. Truth is like an animal. Cage it up too long and when it gets loose, it's vicious and strikes at all around it."

Beckett sputtered as Castle stepped up. "Okay, you know something. Maybe you can at least put us in the right direction?"

"The right direction, for you, would be the opposite of whence you came." Smith rose up, tucking the folder under his arm. "I've got what I need, nice to see you again, I may be lying on that score, good day."

Beckett grabbed his arm. "You are not going anywhere."

Smith looked to her before opening the folder. He lifted a sheet of paper to hold out to them. "Can either of you read this?"

Beckett and Castle both looked at the paper, which seemed to be covered with what amounted to bizarre scribbling. "No."

"Good. If you could, I'd be a dead man." Smith tucked the paper back into the folder. "Now, I've wasted enough time here, like to be gone before someone else pops up, I'd suggest you do the same." He was walking toward the door as Kate gave Castle a baffled look before following. "Smith, I swear, I will arrest you if you don't…"

Smith had stopped by the open door, staring outward. Beckett was surprised at his move, looking over his shoulder to see a group of people standing before the house. There was a woman in a mail delivery uniform, a homeless man in rags, a police officer and others whose outfits ranged from slick business suits to simple clothing, their ages from elderly to teenager. All were staring blankly at the trio in the doorway in a way Beckett and Castle found very disconcerting.

"Rats," Smith muttered. "I was hoping to avoid this." He quite calmly shut the door before them and turned the locks. He then turned to face the couple with a simple nod. "Run."

He raced past them as the two stared at each other in confusion. There was a pounding at the door, a fist smashing through it, followed by a large club and various other weapons including a brick. "Dammit," Beckett hissed as she and Castle fell back. They began following Smith through the apartment as the man made his way to a fire escape outside the window. He glanced down to see another crowd of people at the bottom of the escape, several already racing up the stairs. "To the roof!" he called out.

"You have a plan?" Castle responded as he and Beckett followed.

"As soon as I stop talking, I will!"

Beckett was grabbing her radio to call for help but frowned as she heard only static. "It's not working…"

"Signal must be jamming it up," Smith said as if it was obvious, taking the steps of the escape two at a time. "Hopefully, once we get out of the way, it'll fade but for now, we need to get out of here."

"What signal?" Beckett demanded as they reached the roof. It was mostly bare except for what appeared to be a large blue box sitting in the middle. Smith moved to it, pulling a key from his pocket to open the door. "What are you doing?" Kate snapped.

"You want to live, get in. You want to die, stay here. Mostly makes no difference to me but I think the former is the better option." Smith entered the box with Beckett unsure. "Kate!" Castle yelled out. "They're coming closer!" Seeing little options, Kate took a deep breath as she brushed her way into the door, prepared to be cramped inside.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the light inside. It took a few more moments for her to register they were seeing what they were seeing. Instead of a cramped box, she was inside what appeared to be a massive room with a wide domed ceiling. It was dominated by a platform with a large control console and a rotor, aqua steel all about. Around the circular room were a set of lights spinning in a wide circle, some furniture here and there, including a chalkboard and bookshelves The console was hexagonal, covered in switches, buttons, hoses and what looked for all the world like a coffee maker along with some monitors. Smith was racing to it, pushing several buttons before throwing a switch. A loud groaning sound echoed as the rotor moved up and down and Smith stepped back.

Beckett was just staring with mouth agape as she took in the huge craft they were now in. She saw Castle also staring but with more of a smile, taking in the room with wonder. "Wha…what is this?" she blurted. "How…"

"The how would take about nineteen hours to even partially summarize," Smith stated as he adjusted some controls. "Frankly, I'd think of much better ways to pass time than that." He turned to observe a scanner. "Right…okay then. Signal must have passed over but still have a lock, just what I need to follow it considering…"

"Hey!" Beckett stormed up the steps to the platform to grab at Smith. "Answers! Now!"

Smith raised an eyebrow. "Feisty one." He looked to Castle. "I don't envy you taming her down, my boy."

"Hey!" Beckett snapped.

"Another hey, were you raised on a farm?" Smith moved around the console to throw another switch. "Fine then." He rose up to face them both. "I'm the Doctor. I'm over two thousand years old. I'm an alien. This is the TARDIS, my ship, it's bigger on the inside than it is on the outside and it can travel anywhere in time and space. Are we clear or do you need diagrams?"

Beckett just stared at him as Castle's smile widened. "That…is…so cool!"

"Alien?" Beckett repeated. "That…that is not possible. This…isn't possible!"

"That's good, I hate possible people." The Doctor, as he called himself, moved around the console. "Might as well wait here while I decode the signal better, get a sense of where to go next."

"What signal?" Beckett asked, getting over her shock to get back to the mystery at hand.

"The one that was controlling all those people, are you not keeping up?" The Doctor looked at her, then to Castle. "Orrrrrrrrrr, you don't know about that. Right, I keep making the mistake of thinking people are on my wavelength, should watch that."

"Control?" Beckett frowned. "As in mind control?"

"Simplistic but accurate." The Doctor moved to the chalkboard, flipping it around to a blank side as he picked up a piece of chalk and started jotting on the board. "Run into it a few times before, your typical low-range signal beamed to a human brain. My guess is that's not a total imprint of new material, merely suppression of higher functions, turns the target into an automation. Right now, that mob back there are going back to their usual lives with no memory of trying to rip you limb from limb."

Beckett rubbed her head. "So, what is this? Some sort of government experiment? Or terrorists?"

The Doctor scoffed. "Government, terrorists, human elements, you're adorable."

Castle's eyes widened. "Aliens? This is being done by aliens?" His grin widened. "Oh, this is the best case ever."

The Doctor frowned at him. "Huh. I'm not sure if that eagerness is appealing or appalling." He turned back to the board to make notes. "Now, the one good thing about that attack is it gives me a chance to analyze the signal and perhaps break down where it came from." He finished his jottings and nodded as he took in the work. "Yes, that's it."

Beckett looked at what appeared to be lines and waves and letters she couldn't begin to decipher and looked to the Doctor. "That will help with this signal?"

He looked at her in mild surprise. "No, this is my vacation plans for when I'm done." He flipped the board around to show the other side. "This is the signal notes. It's complicated, of course, the language is impossible for the human mind and…"

"It's mentioning London," Castle broke in.

"And somehow, I did not see that coming which is quite rare." The Doctor whirled at Castle. "How do you know that?"

Castle frowned as he pointed to a passage. "It says right here, London." He looked to Kate. "You don't see that?"

She looked at the writing and shook her head. "It's just gibberish to me."

"Gibberish to one can be Shakespeare to another," the Doctor noted. He pulled out his odd device and ran it over Castle's head, letting it beep. He looked at a readout on it and nodded. "As I suspected." He moved back to the console to tap some buttons. "Now I've got a good starting point."

"Wait, what was that?" Castle asked, looking a bit frantic. "What did you scan me for? What made me beep?"

The Doctor looked to Beckett. "Does he ever talk in not questions?"

"You should be grateful, when he does, it's worse," Beckett couldn't help replying.

"Hey!"

"Oh, wonderful, I adore couples," the Doctor groused as he threw a switch to bring the grinding rotor to a stop. He paced to the door to open it. "Are you coming? I don't like strays inside the TARDIS."

Beckett and Castle followed him out of the box, blinking at the bright light of day. It took a moment for them to adjust and take in the buildings alongside a large river. Once more, Beckett's eyes widened as she saw a familiar tower and a huge Ferris wheel on the other side of the river. "This…is London."

"Indeed it is," the Doctor said as he locked the TARDIS door behind him. "You did grasp it travels through space, right?" He looked at the outline of the city before them. "Amazing how this place attracts the alien life so much. You'd think they'd spread it around to the New World already but no, London is where they gather, must look into why sometime."

Castle just shook his head in disbelief. "Unbelievable."

"No, she should be saying that, you should have the open mind," the Doctor stated as he led them out. Beckett was looking back at the TARDIS and frowning. "Why is it a phone booth?"

"Police box, totally different thing, disguise got stuck but I've grown used to it." The Doctor pulled out his device and held it up. "Sonic screwdriver," he stated just as Beckett was opening her mouth.

"Built a few cabinets with it?" Castle joked.

The Doctor ignored him as he held the screwdriver up and let it beep as he slowly turned in a circle. The beeping slowly increased as he did before he came to a stop, facing the street behind them. "Gotcha," he intoned as he headed down the street, Castle and Beckett following quickly. Castle was getting out his cell phone. "I have to call Alexis, let her know I'll be late for dinner."

The Doctor whirled on them. "Right, cell phones. Let me see those." He held out his hand expectedly as Beckett and Castle handed theirs over. As soon as they did, the Doctor tossed them right into the road in the path of a large truck that crushed both under its wheels.

"The hell was that?" Castle yelled as the Doctor continued to walk on.

"Too easy to track," the Doctor stated. "Leave those on and someone can zoom in on the signal."

"We could have turned them off!"

The Doctor paused as the idea clearly hadn't struck him. Shrugging, he went on, heading down an alleyway. "Just where are we going?" Beckett called after him.

"Tracking the transmission point down," the Doctor said. "Narrowing it to London helped but just…need…ah…." He stopped as the screwdriver pointed to a building a few blocks off. "There we have it."

Beckett and Castle moved behind him, studying what appeared to be a simple building, no different than others around it, three stories with a sturdy wooden door. "So now what?" Castle asked. "Call Scotland Yard?"

The Doctor sniffed. "I prefer dealing with professionals."

"You were posing as a Yard detective," Castle pointed out.

"Simplest way to go then. Police can be rather thick-headed."

"I am a cop," Beckett reminded him.

"Yes, I know and my point stands." The Doctor paused by a corner near the building as he peered at it closely. The two humans did the same, Kate frowning. "Are you sure this is the right place? It looks quiet."

"Quiet warehouses aren't equipped with level 7 Naturion surveillance systems," the Doctor stated. "By this point, you've been scanned down to where they know your last menstrual cycle." He looked at Beckett. "That goes for you too."

He ignored their baffling looks as he moved around the corner and headed to the door. "There's several ways to play this but I do believe in this case, the formal approach is best." He raised his hand to knock on the door. He waited patiently before knocking again. Behind him, Beckett removed her gun before moving forward and lashing out her boot to kick the door open. The Doctor looked at her with disapproval. "I could have opened it myself."

Beckett moved in, gun ready, taking in what looked like a common foyer with only a few pieces of furniture about. The Doctor took the lead again as he led them down a hallway to what seemed like a nice office area with cubicles about. "How long were you gone for?" he called over his shoulder.

"Excuse me?

"Missing. Must have been recent, right?"

Castle and Beckett both stopped to stare at him. "How did you…"

"How long?"

"Two months," Castle replied, his face somber. "I was on my way to our wedding, my car crashed and next thing I knew, I was waking up in the hospital two months later."

"And no idea where you were. Despite some evidence of you around." The Doctor was waving his screwdriver around as he talked. "That falls in line."

"With what?" Beckett demanded. "Dammit, if you know something…"

"I know many, many things, Detective Kate Beckett. And the vast majority of them are things no one else should know." The Doctor continued to wave his screwdriver about. "Hmmm…definite major power source underneath, just need to find the stairs."

Castle was looking around, pausing before a bookshelf. He glanced to Beckett, who raised an eyebrow. "You really think…"

"Why not?" Castle began to randomly pull books off and then back on, looking for the ones that had less dust on them. He finally yanked on a large red volume with an Italian name and with a grinding sound, the bookshelf pulling back on oiled wheels to reveal a staircase. "So cool," Castle grinned.

"Cat and curiosity," the Doctor muttered as he slowly moved down the stairs. Beckett was behind him, her gun ready as Castle trailed behind. "Shouldn't we call…someone?" the writer asked.

"They already know we're here," the Doctor stated. "Might as well be up front about this." As they walked, the two humans noted how the walls were turning to a solid steel motif that became more clinical as they went on. They came before a large set of doors with a panel next to them. A buzz from the Doctor's device and the doors slid open to reveal another large hallway, this one with what appeared to be speakers along the walls. "Just what is this?" Beckett whispered.

The Doctor was silent as he looked around carefully, cocking his head to the side. "Right," he finally said, raising his screwdriver to activate it, aimed at the door on the other end of the hall. "When that opens, you two run through it. I'll catch up."

Once more, the two stared at him in confusion. "Wait…what?" Beckett blurted.

A low hum was starting to grow from the speakers. It wasn't just a sound as suddenly the hairs on the back of Castle's neck started to rise up. "We've not going to have time to argue," the Doctor fired back. "Just get going."

The hum was starting to turn into a high-pitched whine, growing more in volume. It was drowning out the buzzing of the screwdriver as the door at the end slid open. "Go! Now!" the Doctor yelled. Despite their confusion, Castle and Beckett took off in a run. As they did, the whine was now growing louder, their ears starting to ache from it. They dashed through the doors, Beckett sparing a glance behind them to see the Doctor waving his device to seal them up. As soon as the doors shut, the loud sounds died down.

"Dammit!" Kate pounded on the door.

Castle looked around, his face frowning. "Something about this…It's…familiar."

Beckett looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know…" Castle seemed confused himself even as he walked on. "I just know…I've been here before." He was walking further ahead, Beckett moving to catch up. "Rick, wait, don't go too far," she called out.

He was ignoring her, turning a corner to another hallway and seeing a light up ahead. He picked up the pace as he walked toward it, entering a large chamber. It was dominated by a huge hologram of Earth emitting from a console, the walls lined with some catwalks and doors. Around various desks and computers were men and women in regular street clothes and a few suits. What got the attention of the two, however, were the creatures about. There was no other way to describe them, humanoid but each at least six feet tall, some closer to eight. They had bright orange skin marked in various scars and scales, pointed noises and black beady eyes with what appeared to be a suction for a mouth.

Beckett's grip on her gun loosened in shock but she sucked it up to raise it. "Police!" she called out even as she knew this was a ludicrous reaction. "No one move!"

Castle leaned in. "Kate, you know we're not Men in Black?" He stopped as he saw one of the humans turning to smile. "Hello, Richard."

Castle stared at him. "I…know you, don't I?"

He nodded. "Indeed. Jerome is the name I use now. But you…well, you know me a bit differently than that." He smiled at Kate. "And Detective Beckett, nice to meet you at last."

Kate held her gun up. "Who are you…." She glanced at the other beings. "_What_ are you?"

"Larkians are our proper title," Jerome stated with that smile of his. "You wouldn't know of our world, it perished quite a long time ago. We survived, though and are making our way through the universe for a new home."

"Right," Beckett was doubtful. "And what about the people who happen to be on said home already?"

"Because I get the feeling you're not the type to share," Castle added.

Jerome smiled. "This bond of you two, so lovely to see. It's what affected Richard's conditioning."

"Conditioning?" Castle asked. "What are you talking about?"

Jerome smirked as he walked about the globe. "The human mind is nothing more than a computer. And like any computer, it can be programed and reworked. Which is what we have been attempting to do. After all, it takes a while to master a certain programming and so…tests are needed."

"Tests." Beckett stiffened. "The murders in New York. That was you."

Jerome nodded. "Very good, Detective. We had been setting that office up as a way to mix some funds for various enterprises to aid our work. As you can imagine, it's tricky hiding an enterprise like this, even with the rather outmoded methods of finance you humans use." He leaned on a console. "But that…Greenberg, I believe his name was…was poking a bit too deep into our standing, compiling a file on us. So we had to deal with the issue."

"By using your tech to take over her mind and then kill the office." Castle was getting into this better than one might expect.

Kate was just staring at the aliens as she tried to organize her thoughts. "Why? Why do this at all?"

Jerome smirked. "You humans. You expect the massive spaceships invading and such. Why bother when the softer method is much better? Now that we know how to hack a human mind effectively…it's time to take things to the next level." He waved a hand at himself. "This was once a simply accountant before I…stepped into it."

Castle's eyes widened. "Aliens taking over the bodies of humans. Wow, that is awesome!" Beckett smacked him on the arm. "Oh and um, creepy, creepy too!"

"Not as many as we would hope but we're making do," Jerome stated. He nodded at the large globe. "Business leaders first, to shake up the economy. Then, a few of the louder voices of the media, both left and right, to stir things up…"

"You work people up and you get them distracted…" Beckett began.

"And then easier to make your moves without as much notice," Castle finished.

"So smart," Jerome chuckled. "Yes, getting our message out works well. Which was what we tried with you."

Castle just stared at him. "You're saying…you're the ones…"

"Who abducted you on your wedding day, correct," Jerome stated. He moved to a computer, typing a key to bring up images of Castle. One seemed to be a video of him bound shirtless to a table with a large apparatus about his head. He was jerking and though there was no sound, his open mouth indicated he was screaming. Kate automatically put a hand into Castle's as he stared in shock.

Castle licked his now dry lips. "Why? Why me?"

"Your status as a celebrity for one," Jerome matter-of-factly answered. "Connections to the police department for another. And, of course, your father. A top CIA operative with a dark past, connections like that could be useful."

He sighed with sadness that didn't seem genuine. "But, our method didn't quite work as well as hoped with you. Oh, you were able to get out on your own, work with us a bit with some minor tasks but you kept resisting. We had hoped you would be able to get on track but…" He shrugged. "You escaped before we could figure it out. You managed to get back to the city before we could locate you."

"So you did the next best thing and faked the entire abduction plan," Beckett surmised.

"Personally, I wanted to set things up better but I had my hands full with a matter with the higher-ups." Jerome shrugged. "Ah, well, I suppose it worked as well as it could."

"Until now," Castle stated. "Until us and the Doctor."

"The Doctor…" Jerome's smile thinned. "Do you know who he truly is? That man who has burned suns and wrecked planets?"

Castle set his jaw. "He's not the one trying to take over our world."

"No." Jerome shrugged. "But apples and oranges." He tapped keys. "At least we are making strides in our ways…Figuring out the mistakes of before…and thus better able…for control."

With that, he whirled to the computer to tap a set of keys. A low buzzing cut through the air and Castle straightened up, his eyes blinking. In a flash, he had yanked the gun out of Kate's hands and was pointing it at her. She stared in disbelief at him, seeing the blankness in his eyes and a chill up her spine. "Rick.."

"I wouldn't waste words," Jerome said with that damnable smirk. "We've been streamlining the process for a while. Right now, he'll put a bullet through your eyes with no problem. Probably his last act before we wipe his mind totally, a friend has wanted his body for a while."

Kate licked her lips as she held up her hands. "Rick…I know you're in there. I know you can stop this, you did before." He simply aimed the gun but Beckett moved forward slower. "It's you. Rick Castle is no killer. And not to me."

"You're wasting your breath," Jerome taunted. "To think you can beat our programming…" He chuckled. "That is such foolishness."

"Oh, I don't know," a loud Scottish brogue cut through the air from above. "I would think that a larger dose of foolishness is locking a man with a sonic screwdriver into a sonic chamber."

The sound of shoes stamping on steel echoed through the chamber as the Doctor appeared, shoving that odd device of his into a nearby console before removing it. He then spun to face the Larkians before him with eyebrows raised. "Well, well, well!" he announced in a broad voice as he took in the figures around him with narrowed eyes. "If it isn't my least favorite bunch of miserable, murderous, slime-sucking, shape-shifting, soulless, sociopathic, sorry excuses for a parasitic life form!"

He spread out his arms. "As ever, I'm appreciative for your habit of spilling your plans out in lush detail, saves me a lot of time." He stepped to where Castle was aiming the gun and pushed the arm down. "Oh, put that down, already."

He held up the screwdriver, hitting a button and a low rumble echoed through the entire hall. "That was your main defense screen falling," the Doctor intoned. "Along with the jamming you're making on various military scanners." He fixed a glare at Jerome. "Now then. I'm going to be talking and if you answer me with anything I don't want to hear, I'm going to be very cross. And for the record, that list includes Bartusian opera, Vogon poetry and anything by Andrew Lloyd Weber."

"Doctor," Jerome intoned, his lips pursing. "It has been a long time since you ran across us."

"Yes, lovely memories," the Doctor sarcastically said. "I do hate reunions like this." He looked to Beckett. "They give you the sob story about their world wiped out? Well, they leave off the little detail that it was them that did it. Massive nuclear and chemical drops, ugly mess all around and rather than learn something from it, they just go on warping other worlds."

"We are like any other species, Doctor. Simply doing our best to survive."

"Survival? You want to talk survival?" the Doctor snorted. "You know who the greatest survivors are? The cockroach. No matter what comes, hurricanes, earthquakes, social upheaval, nuclear war, the cockroach will keep on going. But it doesn't matter how deep it scurries, how much it fights, what struggles it endures because in the end...it's still a cockroach."

Jerome shook his head. "You never change, Doctor. Oh, your face does but you never do. Still so righteous and judgmental."

"It's easy to be righteous when you're so often right," the Doctor noted. "And not like I'm alone in wanting to put a stop to your antics." He shook his head. "Honestly, mind-wipes? You're about the seventh batch I've run into over the last few years who have pulled that old chestnut."

"Wait…" Beckett stared at him. "You…You knew about Castle?"

The Doctor gave her a "please" look. "Of course I knew. Detected it right off the bat, how else do you think he could read that bit about London?"

"And you didn't say anything?!"

The Doctor frowned. "Should I have? Sorry, I tend to be a bit less understanding of others this time around, character flaw I suppose but at least it works out here."

He looked back to Jerome. "Right, then. You are going to shut this little system down, let Mr. Castle go and maybe I'll be kind-hearted enough to let you leave this planet in one piece." He held up a finger. "But you should know, my habit of giving folks a chance is on the downside these days."

The alien laughed. "You, Doctor? You're going to take us on?"

"Stopping you is needed," the Doctor said. "And whatever else, I will do what it takes to get you off this world."

"And who's going to stop us, Doctor," Jerome sniffed. "You?"

The Doctor just shook his head. "In the past, I'd be using a lot of words now, words of warning, to try and turn you off this path. Not now, though. No, now, I'm doing something I haven't done in a while. Now, I am going to bring this little enterprise of yours down by simply uttering three little words."

He smiled wickedly. "Smith. And. Jones."

The doors to the rear of the chamber exploded outward, sending steel and other bits flying in all directions and knocking several of the guards back. Bursting through the ruined passage were a pair of dark-skinned people in matching black outfits. The man was handsome with a light beard while the woman was quite attractive with braided hair, each brandishing a large gun that looked like a mini-cannon as they took aim at the figures before them. "Right, you lot!" the woman yelled out. "First one who makes a move gets themselves blasted."

The Doctor smiled at Beckett. "She was a doctor herself, believe it or not. Detective Kate Beckett, meet Martha Jones and Mickey Smith."

"Yet, you put his name first," Martha noted as she hopped down to the floor, her rifle raised. She looked the Doctor over, raising an eyebrow. "Huh. Here, I was thinking you got younger each time you went through this."

The Doctor shrugged. "Guess I finally look more mature for my age."

The couple both laughed at that. "Well, hopefully means you won't be hitting on my wife again," Mickey stated.

"I never hit on her!"

"You kind of were, mate."

"Excuse me!" Beckett yelled. "We have other issues here?"

The Doctor nodded as if just realizing the situation. "Right. At this point, you have…Martha?"

"Thirty-six."

"Thirty-six highly trained soldiers surrounding…" He paused and looked at her. "Thirty-six? That's all? Really?"

"You came in here with just these two."

"Yes but I'm me." The Doctor shook it off. "Right, anyway, you've got nearly 40, that sounds much better, soldiers around this place, ready to turn it into a shooting gallery. Since your reputation as cowards of the highest order is well known, you're not stocked for a major fight, in either ammo or courage. So just hang it up now and it'll go easier for you."

Jerome smirked again as he waved his hands and various Larkians began hoisting weapons at them. "We have you outnumbered, Doctor."

"One shot and no one gets out alive," Martha intoned.

Jerome chuckled. "Actually, we will." He waved his hand at the computers. "Special fail-safe we've created. We can simply upload our consciousness to…."

"A special branch of UNIT's London HQ that specializes in this sort of thing."

Jerome's mouth stayed open as he stared at the Doctor. "What?"

The Doctor shook his head. "That's the trouble with lot like you, so busy being ten steps ahead, you miss what's right in front of you." He held up the screwdriver. "You think when I was shutting down that sonic chamber, I didn't run a full diagnostic on your system as well? That's the problem using Earth technology, it makes it easier to hack and work out." He raised an eyebrow. "You try the downloading now and you're sharing space with some lab worker's latest Minecraft scores."

Jerome glowered. "You don't bluff well, Doctor."

"You're right. I don't. That should tell you something."

Jerome moved to his console and started to tap key as the Doctor sighed and glanced to Martha. "You warn them, you give them a chance but they never listen…"

"Should we stop them?" Mickey asked.

"Nope, some morons just need to learn the hard way." The Doctor crossed his arms as Jerome hit another key. "Last chance, Jerome or whatever your name is."

The alien just smirked back at him before calling out in his own language, the Larkians moving together. "Until next time, Doctor. We shall..." He hit a key shivering before collapsing, the other humans around doing the same. Castle let out a yell as he grabbed his own head, the gun falling.

"Rick!" Beckett was at his side in an instant, holding him. "Rick, can you hear me?"

He groaned as he looked at her. "Did...something happen?" She just embraced him warmly.

The Doctor moved to Jerome's body, nudging it with a foot, seeing the open eyes staring at the ceiling. "I'm sorry," he softly said. "Whoever you were, you didn't deserve this."

A beeping sound echoed as Martha pulled out a cell phone to click it open. "Jones." She listened for a moment and nodded. "Right, we'll be there shortly." She hung the phone up before looking to the Doctor. "Seems the computer section just got a massive download. The boss would like a word on how she's going to have to explain the sudden power surge to the mayor."

"I'll leave that to you." The Doctor turned to the Lakarins who were in their natural form staring in disbelief. "This is the part where you all give up."

A very loud clattering went up as weapons were dropped. Mickey and Martha quickly moved in as a slew of soldiers entered with their own weapons. Some of the humans who had fallen were moaning, looking up in confusion. "We've got live ones here!" Mickey called out.

"They should be all right," the Doctor stated. "Only partial possession, not total re-write, leave that to the shrinks. I hate shrinks, my head's full enough without needing to get resized."

Martha moved to Beckett and Castle. "You two all right?"

"Think so," Castle said as Beckett helped him up.

Martha smiled. "I know how it is with him. You find yourself on a wild roller coaster, no idea what's happening half the time but dammed if he doesn't find a way to sort it out in the end."

"Least this time happened with minimum body count," Mickey stated.

The Doctor glared at him. "I liked you much better when you screamed like a girl."

"Least I've got better looks now."

"Touché," the Doctor acknowledged with a smile. "Thanks for coming by."

"Well, you call us up personally, we had to," Martha said.

"Right, right." He looked to Beckett. "Remind me to make that phone call later."

She just stared as Martha chuckled. "Haven't got into the time stuff, eh?"

Castle was glaring at the Doctor. "You could have told us earlier what you knew. About me being used as a puppet, for example?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Couldn't be sure how much you were tied into their system still, you play cards, you should know about giving away a good hand." A light smirk came to his face. "Besides, sometimes, you just have to indulge in a good old-fashioned bit of grandstanding to get the point across." He waved at the aliens who were being bound in special restraints by the UNIT troops. "They'll be traded or extradited or something but they'll let the rest of their people know this little mudball is off limits and that solves the problem well."

Mickey leaned in toward Martha. "He's maturing, hon. The idea of him maturing is really scary."

Castle looked to the Doctor. "Can I…get my memories back? Of what I did."

"You could." The Doctor paused before speaking. "If you wanted to. But sometimes…Maybe sometimes, it's best not to know the full past. Sure, you can learn from it and such…But sometimes, it's better to look to the future. Trust me, I know both ways that flows."

"You're right, that is scary," Martha told her husband.

Castle looked at the Doctor, then to Beckett. "Yeah…guess you're right."

The Doctor clapped his hands together. "So. That's all sorted out, I can get back to more important things!" He turned to head to the exit.

"Wait a minute!" Beckett called out. "We need to get back to New York!"

"The Concord is a lovely thing."

"Doctor…" Martha said in a warning tone he knew well.

He looked at her. "That may have worked with the old chap but in case you haven't noticed, things have changed."

"Really?" Martha smiled. "Going out of your way to help a pair you just met to save them from an alien attack that also threatened Earth? Seems like old times to me."

The Doctor looked to her, then to Mickey. "I really don't envy you having to handle her, mate."

"Please, who do you think's the boss?"

"At least you admit it, that's far healthier." The Doctor waved to Castle and Beckett. "Fine, fine, come along, I can drop you both off."

The two began to follow but Beckett lagged around. "You're just going to leave an alien command center operational?"

"I dislike the clean-up process. Besides, half this city is made up of alien strongholds, I'll give you the guidemap later." He nodded to the black couple. "Martha, Mickey, lovely to see you both, give my best to Todd."

"Todd?" Martha frowned. "Who's Todd?"

The Doctor frowned, glancing at her belly to nod. "Ah, right, not that far along yet. Well, you'll find out." He walked out, Beckett and Castle following. Behind them, Mickey and Martha slowly stared at each other in mute amazement. "Did he…" Mickey started.

"Todd…" Martha smiled. "Not a bad name."

"He didn't say how soon…"

"Best get started then." Martha brought her husband in for a kiss as the rest of the UNIT group went about their task.

* * *

><p>"All right, then," the Doctor said as he led the way back to the TARDIS. "Need to drop you two off, make that call and then I think a stop in Venice sounds good." He opened the door to lead them inside. "Been a while since I saw Michelangelo, can't beat the tea there."<p>

Beckett rubbed Castle's back. "You're sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. I mean, I just found out I was used as part of a wild alien conspiracy…"

"Which, to you, is something to be proud of."

"Damn right!" Castle grinned. He softened it. "He's right. I need to stop letting this hang over us. I need to move on. We need to move on." He leaned in to kiss her, Kate returning it.

A loud coughing got their attention as they looked to the Doctor, who stood by the moving rotor. "Charming as this has been, I believe you two are from New York?"

"Doctor…" Kate started. "We don't know how to thank you."

"If you did, I'd be shocked to the core," the Doctor stated as he stopped the rotor. He moved forward to lead them to the door. "It has been an experience, I do think it's best to keep this quiet. UNIT will no doubt be on the phone with you both to discuss the situation but for now, very good luck, Mr. Castle, Senator Beckett…"

"Senator?" the two blurted. The Doctor glanced at them, frowning before nodding. "Ah, right, that's how I know you. Something to look forward to." He opened the door to lead them outside. "Again, nice to have met you, hope you enjoy your lives and…"

The trio stopped in place as they took in the surroundings. It was not New York City. In fact, it wasn't a city at all but rather a ship surrounded by ocean on all sides with a crisp chill in the night air. Before them were a crew of rough-handed men, and a few women, all dressed in garb that clearly indicated they were pirates. Standing at the large deck, glowering at them, was a man in a thick red coat, large black hat and a thick black beard.

As Beckett and Castle drew back, the Doctor simply nodded. "Right. Slight detour, then." He held up his arms. "Yo-ho-ho!"

"They really say that?" Castle asked.

The pirates aimed their guns.

"That might be a no."

* * *

><p><strong>No real plans for a sequel but did want to end it on a fun note. All comments welcomed. <strong>


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